NREGA

NREGA : Fund crisis in Cooch Behar

COOCH BEHAR, Jan. 5: The Job Card holders in Cooch Behar district are suffering from trouble as they are not getting jobs under National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) due to lack of fund. Payment against jobs done is also lying unpaid in several areas. The authorities concerned too admitted the problem.

 

Recently, Cooch Behar district received a fund of Rs 10-crore for running the NREGA schemes but that fund was already used to pay the workers. A fund to the tune of Rs 70-crore was asked for from the Centre for the rest of the current fiscal year but that is yet to arrive here. Due to this reason the problem aroused, official sources said.

 

According to the government norms a Job Card holder is to get job within fifteen days from the day of submission of an application asking for a job. But as there is a crisis of fund the workers are facing trouble in getting their wages and jobs. Recently, the demand for jobs has increased following a hike of daily wage from Rs 75 to Rs 81.

 

Official sources said the district administration had sought a fund of Rs 140-crore to run the NREGA schemes for the ongoing fiscal year but it received Rs 34-crore only till November. It also received Rs 13-crore as arrear of last financial year. The administration has spent Rs 47-crore till November. Later, a fund of Rs 70-crore was sought from the Centre for the last quarter of the ongoing financial year but Rs 10-crore only came in December.

 

Pradhans of different gram panchayats told the district administration that they failed to extend jobs to eager Job Card holders due to lack of fund. A few pradhans alleged that they have submitted utilisation certificates against completed schemes but failed to get funds from the district administration. "It is impossible to extend jobs to the workers for the scheduled 100 days in the ongoing fiscal year even if we get funds", a pradhan said.

 

Mentionworthy, the Job Card holders are too demonstrating in different areas seeking jobs and payments against jobs already done. []

 

PHOTO : PAINTERS CORNER – At an exhibition of paintings of budding artists at Raas Mela Maidan in Cooch Behar on Monday. - DB